In order to combat juvenile crime, punishment should not be more severe, but the norms and values should be redefined.
That’s what youth psychiatrist René Cardynaals and Ward Vijgen of welfare institution Trajekt say in de Stemming on L1 Radio.
A report by the TaskForce Youthful Underminers was recently published. This showed that 1 in 3 young people in Limburg come into contact with crime. “These are very high numbers, but we are not surprised,” said Kim Wetjens of the task force. According to the researchers, the young people come into contact with the production and trade of drugs, cybercrime and threats.
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More severe punishment is not a solution, says Cardynaals. “We have to educate children. We have to teach them not to ride a bicycle. If you explain that in juvenile detention, it’s too late.” Figs agrees with him: “Boundaries are important. The norms and values must be explained.”
Poverty
Ward Vijgen was particularly shocked by the age at which young people come into contact with crime. Often they have already dealt, threatened or used violence before the age of fifteen. “Time is changing among young people,” says Vijgen. “They are more on social media. That can go unseen on the phone.” Trajekt tries to keep young people on the right path. “We also know the families where it is difficult. That goes from generation to generation. We try to break through that. Poverty is also a big problem. If children see that they can easily earn a lot of money, then that is very attractive.”
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Especially young people who are in a difficult position at home come into contact with crime. For example, the report states that the neighborhood in which young people grow up, Limburg’s borderline location and poverty in the family play a role. Youth psychiatrist René Cardynaals also sees that young people who have already made a mistake are doing it again. “Vulnerable young people are recruited in juvenile detention by the criminal groups. Because they are vulnerable.”
‘Sieve of trouble’
In order to prevent juvenile delinquency, more efforts must be made to prevent it. “Let’s report it. It is often not seen,” says Weltjens. This should be done at school, for example. This has been a problem for the past two years because of corona. “School performance is the thermometer. If things go badly, something is often wrong,” explains Cardynaals. “Because of corona, schools did not have a good view. The sieve that makes the problems float to the top was not there then.”